🚀 go-pugleaf

clin@eng.umd.edu (Charles Lin) writes:

>    Magnet schools provide the kind of challenge that schools ought to
>providing, but unfortunately, do not.

BINGO!!!!!

>Part of the success is not only
>due to dedicate teachers, but much more importantly, to dedicated students,
>who have parents that are aware of the value of better education.  I recently
>read that Americans were tested in math skills and still fared just as
>poorly as ten years ago.   When asked, typical American parents were
>satisified with their children's education,

Please netters, remember you don't represent the 'typical', take some
time and socialize with the 'great masses'. It is very hard to convice
someone who drives a truck, or works on a production line, etc. that
math and science is of any use. Some where we have forgotten the idea
where we want our kids to get a better education than we had. You and
I on the net are in a way the lucky ones, but again remember we are
not the majority. WE HAVE to come up with some way of getting the idea
across to these parents that education is worth it for their kids.

>while typical Japanese parents
>were not.   While one might consider the Japanese system extreme, one advantage
>is that, for many parents, education is at a premium.   Valuing education must
>first come from the home, and then the school.

Have you been in some of these homes ? I have, and I don't just mean
typical urban such as NY City. But areas that are considered pretty well
off. We are going to have to re-educate the parents before we can
educate the kids.

>The best schools will not help people who are unwilling to learn.

I've worked with kids that have been pegged as TOTALLY unable to learn,
basically given up on, now these aren't the urban kids that are in gangs
etc, but they could be or would be if they had a chance. BUT IT is very
interesting after less than an hour how much they do learn, AND WANT to
learn. What I'm trying to say is that in most casses it is not the kids
that are unwilling to learn, but the environment (mostly
home/parent) that is the problem.

-pete
Pete Lancashire
petel@sequent.com